Jon Robinson stops short of full endorsement of Marcus Mariota

January 09, 2019 12:36 PM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Given a chance to throw organizational support behind Marcus Mariota, Jon Robinson failed to do so in a Wednesday morning interview on The Midday 180. That hardly means he's out on the quarterback. But he wasn't fluffing up a complicated quarterback situation, either.

"Is your commitment to Marcus Mariota the same as it's been since you've arrived," I asked. [Unlocked]

His reply: "Marcus has done a good job for us. He's made some big plays in my time here. He's a tough guy. He's been dinged up but when he's been out there he's done a lot of good things for us and I'm glad he's on this football team. He needs to take some time and get some rest and get healthy. I know he's itching to come back out and work in April whenever we start back. I think nothing is more important to him than his teammates, really loves his teammates. It's really key. Looking forward to seeing him when he gets back here in April."

"You did not say yes," I snuck in. "Very telling" Before heading right into my next question.

Now that's hardly Robinson trying to run Mariota out of town. The QB is under contract for 2019 and he's going to be here and have a final chance to turn himself into a long-term solution. But the GM also didn’t gush and run to say Mariota is unconditionally the Titans' long-term signal-caller.

To be honest, how could he?

I am certain he is rooting for Mariota to get healthy, stay healthy, hit it off with a new coordinator, and play brilliantly, providing the franchise an answer rather than a question.

But right now he's a question and the GM didn't try to tell us otherwise.

You can listen to the entire interview, which is drawing rave reviews, right here.